Antioxidant profiling of cyanobacterial bioactive compounds

Antioxidant compounds may be useful as dietary supplements that protect from oxidative stress-related diseases. Different organisms produce antioxidants as a defense mechanism to counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and even chloride ions are harmful for the living systems. Cyanobacteria produce a wide range of bioactive compounds with diverse applications in agriculture, medicine and industry. These compounds include pigments, secondary metabolites such as, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), scytonemin, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins (PBPs) and other molecules with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The antioxidant molecules found in cyanobacteria may provide a safe, natural and alternative substitute for the synthetic antioxidants. They may also find an application in nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. The antioxidant properties of cyanobacteria are ecologically significant, enabling their survival and resilience in extreme environments. The important advancements in the field of antioxidants derived from cyanobacteria will be highlighted in this review. The novelty of this review lies in the fact that it emphasizes cyanobacteria as sustainable and renewable resources for natural antioxidants reducing dependency on synthetic chemicals. A sustainable method of envisaging cyanobacteria as competent antioxidant may lead to new developments in the fields of diagnosis, management, and prevention of a wide range of diseases. This study also emphasizes the ecological and industrial relevance of cyanobacteria as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds for addressing oxidative stress related challenges.